The Plague
by Rainstar of ShadowClan
Summary: A Plague is coming to the Clans of the forest. The Thundering Cat of Medicine must find the one and only cure before the disease shatters the border between sanity and hysteria. Frostpaw, the new ThunderClan medicine cat apprentice, has no idea what lays in store for her as she begins her training. Will the cure be found before it is too late?
1. Prologue

**WARNING: The story you are about to read is old and horrific. Proceed with caution, and know that I can do much better now. **

**Finally! Yay, a new story. Well, this one is going to be about Rainstar, my kitty. Now since Rainstar is from ShadowClan, the main Clan of this story will be ShadowClan! So enjoy! ^-^**

**~Prologue below allegiances**

Allegiances 

ShadowClan

**I could use a little help with creating cats. So feel free to add cats as your review. I still want to hear what you have to say about the story though. I will fill in your cats if there's still space available as their position as soon as possible. A few last things, try not to reuse names, or appearances, or anything like that. If a space is not available, I will let you know. Good luck! **

**Name:**

**Gender:**

**Rank (Deputy, medicine cat, warrior, apprentice, etc):**

**Appearance:**

**Personality:**

**Kin:**

**Extra info: **

**Update: Thanks for your help! ^-^ I now have plenty of cats and I'm no longer accepting any more. Thanks again! XD**

Leader: Honeystar: A golden she-cat with amber eyes.

Deputy: Mousereed: A long furred black she-cat with deep blue eyes.

Medicine cat: Moonshine: A gray she-cat with amber eyes.

Medicine Cat Apprentice: Tigerpaw: Brown tabby with amber eyes and a torn right ear.

Warriors:

Hawksky: Silver she-cat with black stripes and blue eyes.

Apprentice: Kestrelpaw

Autumnflare: Redish brown she-cat with yellow eyes.

Apprentice: Rainpaw

Lightningfang: Large golden tabby with black stripes and amber eyes.

Apprentice: Cloudpaw

Spiderfoot: Dark gray she-cat with black flecks and amber eyes.

Apprentice: Featherpaw

Sparrow-wing: Slightly bluish gray she-cat with amber eyes.

Apprentice: Wolfpaw

Berryfrost: Gray tom with black paws and icy blue eyes.

Songshadow: Golden she-cat with black stripes and amber eyes.

Apprentice: Thistlepaw

Flickerfoot: A orange and white tom with bright ginger markings on his right-front paw and green eyes.

Canaryflight: A ginger she-cat with dark brown splashes and yellow eyes.

Breezeflower: A velvety black she-cat with warm dark blue eyes.

Apprentice: Quailpaw

Queens:

Frostfur: A white she-cat with icy blue eyes.

(Kit (s): Rainpaw and Thistlepaw)

Heathersplash: Dusty ginger she-cat with green eyes.

(Kit (s): Stormkit, Crowkit, Dark-kit.)

Nightcloud: Sleek black she-cat with blue eyes.

(Kit (s): Amberkit and Flamekit).

Apprentices:

Rainpaw: A bluish gray she-cat with bright blue eyes and silver stripes.

Thistlepaw: A light brown green-eyed tom with white paws, muzzle, and tail tip.

Cloudpaw: A white tom with blue eyes.

Kestrelpaw: Lithe gray she-cat with black spots and green eyes.

Wolfpaw: Lithe gray she-cat with black spots and green eyes.

Featherpaw: Brown with large black paws, black ears, and blue eyes.

Quailpaw: Brown with large black paws, black ears, and blue eyes.

Kits:

Crowkit: Smoky black tom with blue eyes.

Stormkit: Small gray tom with amber eyes.

Dark-kit: Pitch black she-cat with amber eyes.

Amberkit: A calico she-cat with orange spots that glow under the sun's rays. She has green eyes and a fluffy tail.

Flamekit: Dark ginger tom with dark blue eyes.

Elders:

Badgerfang: Black and white tom with green eyes.

Cedarwhisker: Dark brown tom with green eyes and no front left paw.

Mallowfur: White with black paws, a long snake like tail, and golden eyes.

Prologue

"RiverClan, attack!" A battle cry sounded just outside the camp.

"Quick, kits, get inside the nursery now!" Frostfur demanded.

Rainkit and the other kits scurried back inside the nursery as the enemy cats starting streaming out from the entrance of the camp.

"Okay, is everyone here?" Frostfur gazed at the kits before her. "Oh my, Ravenkit is missing!"

Rainkit stared wide-eyed in shock as Frostfur left the nursery calling, "Ravenkit! Ravenkit! Where are you?"

She started to follow her automatically, but Thistlekit, her brother, held her back.

"Your sister will be all right, Rainkit," he assured her.

"She didn't come," Rainkit mewed. "Why didn't she come?"

"I'm sure she didn't hear Mom," Thistlekit stated. "And I don't think those warriors will hurt her, she's just a kit like us."

"It-it's possible," stammered Rainkit, worried. She looked out at the clearing, now covered in clawing, hissing cats. "It's so brutal. I don't think they would even notice. I'm going out to find her." She padded towards the entrance, but was once again held back by her brother.

"Mom is taking care of it. She'll find her," he told her.

"No!" she cried and dashed out, not caring about the danger. She inspected the clearing, but she couldn't see her sister. She noticed a large dark brown tom race out of the camp. He was barely hurt, and she saw that something was dangling from his jaws.

_He stole fresh kill, _she thought. _How dare he!_

Suddenly she saw a light gray tom running about two tail lengths away, eyes locked on her. She gasped and jumped in the air, her paws skimming his back as he ran by. As soon as she landed she was off towards the nursery, dashing as fast as she could go. She got inside safely, panting.

"You're alive!" Thistlekit exclaimed. "Thank StarClan!"

Just then the light gray tom appeared at the entrance, grinning menacingly. He took one step forward and was knocked over by Frostfur. The white she-cat ripped at his belly, leaving long red gashes. She finished him off by slamming her paw to his head, which left him unconscious.

Frostfur winked at the kits and then dragged the enemy away from them with her teeth in his fur.

"She's unbeatable!" cheered Thistlekit, grinning happily.

Rainkit sighed. "I couldn't find her," she whispered.

"Oh," her brother stopped cheering and slumped his shoulders in disappointment. "I hope she's okay."

"She'd better be okay," Rainkit mewed.

"Yeah," Thistlekit agreed.

Frostfur came back into the nursery. "Well, now that he's taken care of, I have some news for you kits. Ravenkit is still missing and is nowhere to be found. Once the battle is over I'll ask Honeystar to question the Clan if they saw her."

"Okay," Rainkit muttered. She looked back out at the clearing to see that they were winning. Most of the RiverClan warriors had already left, and the others were fighting a hopeless battle. Ravenkit was still nowhere to be seen.

"Retreat!" cried the RiverClan leader. The remaining enemy warriors left the camp, bleeding and bruised.  
"We won!" Thistlekit started to cheer again. "ShadowClan rules!"

"Yeah, yeah," she muttered.

Rainkit and the other kits left the nursery and back out into the clearing. Rainkit padded forward and stepped in something warm and sticky. She looked down and saw that she was standing in a puddle of blood. "Ew!" she cried and jumped out of it and ran towards her mother. She nuzzled her.

"Don't worry," Frostfur soothed. "It's nothing to be afraid of."

"It's just gross," Rainkit explained to her mother.

Frostfur laughed playfully. "You'll get used to it, dear."

Rainkit sighed loudly. "I guess," she muttered.

She recalled the tom she had seen. _Why would someone bother to steal fresh kill? _She wondered. _It's so odd. _

**So yeah. That's the prologue. Please R&R. (Rainkit and Ravenkit! ^-^)**


	2. Chapter 1

Frostkit had always wanted to become the apprentice of Shadefur, the ThunderClan medicine cat. A few days after the silver kit had learned to walk, she wandered away from the nursery, which she shared with her brother, Pinekit, and mother, Cedartail, for the first time. Her tiny, wobbly legs instinctively led her to the medicine cat den where she peeked inside, fascinated by the new and mysterious sights, smells, and sounds. Before she could investigate, however, she was quickly chased out by Shadefur, who had enough things to do already and couldn't afford to babysit her. But after that encounter, Frostkit always tried to scramble over there whenever she could. Sometimes she managed to observe Shadefur organizing herbs, treating patients, and consulting StarClan for advice for quite some time before he noticed her and shooed her away. He always did that. She had often wondered why.

Her mother kept telling her to stop bothering the medicine cat, but she couldn't help it. It was just so interesting! Pinekit sometimes teased her about it. While she was watching Shadefur, he was always talking with the apprentices, asking eagerly for them to show him battle moves that they had learned that day, or how to hunt. She never found that stuff very interesting. For her, it was all about the medicine cat. She knew he didn't have an apprentice, and so she wanted that role very badly.

And now, at last! She stood before the Highrock, her blue eyes wide and eager, as Falconstar leaped on top of it. Her brother stood beside her, barely able to contain his excitement (_Just like me, _she realized), and Cedartail sat behind them, full of her pride for her kits. Frostkit knew, she just knew, that after her leader appointed Pinekit as a warrior apprentice, Shadefur would be up there, ready to claim his apprentice…

"Pinekit, you have reached the age of six moons, and it is time for you to be apprenticed. From this day on, until you receive your warrior name, you will be known as Pinepaw. Your mentor will be Jaggeddust. I hope she will pass down all she knows on to you," stated Falconstar.

Pinepaw leaped forward to touch noses with his new mentor, almost colliding with her instead. Frostkit giggled at this before joining the chant. "Pinepaw! Pinepaw! Pinepaw!"

But then, yes! Frostkit's fur tingled as Shadefur padded calmly onto the Highrock next to Falconstar, and announced, "Cats of ThunderClan, as you know, I will not be around forever. So it's time I took an apprentice. I have chosen a cat who has shown enthusiasm and independence. Your next medicine cat will be Frostpaw."

Falconstar then added, "Frostpaw, do you accept the post of apprentice to Shadefur?"

"I do," Frostpaw promised, truly meaning it with all her heart and soul.

"Then at the half-moon, you must travel to the moonstone to be accepted by StarClan before the other medicine cats," Shadefur announced.

"The good wishes of all ThunderClan will go with you," the leader concluded. Frostpaw grinned as she touched noses with Shadefur. At long last, she was the medicine cat apprentice!

"Frostpaw! Frostpaw! Frostpaw!" As the cats began to leave, Frostpaw tackled her brother with joy, the two of them falling into a pile of leaves that had fallen from the trees.

"I'm a medicine cat apprentice!" she mewed with glee, flicking a brown leaf off her ear.

"I'm a warrior cat apprentice!" Pinepaw roared and kicked her off, scrambling to his paws and sending the leaves flying. Before she could do the same, he crashed into her, planting his paws on her chest. "Hah!"

"Oh, you," Frostpaw thrashed around for a moment, struggling to get out of his grip. "Hey, let go."

Pinepaw started to say something, but then Jaggeddust called him over, and he bounded after his mentor with great enthusiasm. Frostpaw got up and glared after him until he disappeared out of camp. _Hmph. _She groomed herself for a moment, and then remembered that she had somewhere to be. She dashed into the medicine cat den.

It was the first time she had actually set her paws inside the den. Now she could finally get a good view of every corner, every little detail. The first thing that hit her was the scent; the sharp, tangy smell of herbs mixed with a faint odor of sickliness. She had smelled it before, of course, but now that it was all around her, it was stronger than ever. It might've made her nose wrinkle in distaste, but she had become familiar with it in all the time she had spent just outside, so instead she welcomed the smell.

In the front of the den, there were several moss beds that looked as though they had been used fairly often. She guessed that these were for the patients to rest in. She also spotted a flat gray rock in a corner by the entrance, little bits and ends of herbs laying there. Frostpaw was curious about this rock, but soon she was padding a little farther in instead, going slowly, as it took some time for her eyes to adjust to the darkness in the back. She saw another two moss beds. _One for me! _she thought happily. When she at last made out the enormous storage of herbs, she let out a mew of delight. She had seen Shadefur using some of them, but she had never imagined so many herbs could even exist! She saw a strand of cobwebs, and remembered noticing how Shadefur wrapped these on bleeding wounds. Frostpaw poked at them for a bit, fascinated. Then a shadow fell over her, blocking the light from the entrance, and she froze, turning around to see the smoky gray medicine cat.

"Hi, Shadefur!" she greeted him, dropping her paw in a flash. He shuffled past her with hardly a glance, rummaging through the herbs. Frostpaw tried not to feel disappointed, but then he turned around, grasping a few select herbs and berries, and a wad of cobwebs. He placed them on the gray rock, and faced her.

"So! One part of being a medicine cat is having a vast knowledge of medicine. Let's get started on that, shall we? We'll start with the basics for today." All right! Right down to business. Frostpaw watched as he separated the cobwebs from the pile.

"These are cobwebs, woven by spiders," Shadefur informed her. "You can find them almost anywhere; spiders run rampant in the forest out there. Cobwebs are used to stop bleeding."

Frostpaw nodded. She already knew part of that! Well, guessed, more like. But now she knew!

"And this is marigold." The medicine cat gestured to a few bright yellow flowers with green leaves. "The leaves or petals can be chewed into a poultice to stop infection. Marigold is commonly found near water."

And on the list went. She learned about catmint, and how it was very valuable for treating whitecough and greencough, and poppy seeds, which were used to ease pain, distress, or shock, and helped the patient sleep. Then there were juniper berries, used for coughs, and snakeroot, the best remedy for poison, especially snake bites. There were a few more, and then at last Shadefur halted, and asked, "Juniper berries?"

"Uh…" Frostpaw thought for a moment, and then said, "They grow in dry areas…and are used to cure…infection?"

She knew she got it wrong when she saw Shadefur shaking his head, a glint of amusement in his amber eyes. "You were right about where they grow, but they are used for _coughs_, not infections." When he saw Frostpaw looked gravely disappointed, he added, "You'll get it someday; trust me."

Then the medicine cat gathered up the herbs he had brought out, and went to place them back in storage. Frostpaw busied herself with staring at the den again as he did so. Then she glanced at him and saw that he was padding back to her with a leaf bundled up in his jaws, his eyes dark now. Shadefur dropped the bundle on the rock, and it opened, revealing three scarlet berries.

Frostpaw leaned in for a closer look, her nose almost touching them, before Shadefur nudged her away and meowed firmly, "These are deathberries. Never, I repeat, _never_, eat them. These berries can kill a cat within minutes if consumed. Do you understand?"

Frostpaw nodded slowly, backing away now. The deathberries had seemed so innocent before, almost tasty…she shivered at the thought of eating them.

"Good. Every medicine cat must know this, and know it well, for these berries are very dangerous." With that, Shadefur wrapped them back up in the leaf and put them away. This time he was back very quickly.

"So, you may be my apprentice now, but StarClan has not recognized this just yet. You see, every half-moon, the medicine cats and their apprentices meet up with each other and visit the Moonstone at Highstones to have dreams with StarClan. The next half-moon meeting is in three days. You will come with me to be officially recognized as my apprentice, and to share a dream with StarClan."

Frostpaw immediately brightened up. She would get to share dreams….with StarClan? Just the thought of it! Her paws tingled with excitement. "I can't wait!"

Shadefur smiled slightly. "Let's go gather some of those herbs I've mentioned now. I can always use more, especially since leaf-bare is not far ahead of us now." Frostpaw followed him out of the medicine cat den, and out into the forest. She was trying to recollect all the different smells of the herbs now so she could easily recognize them as they looked. She would be sure to find the first one before her mentor!


	3. Chapter 2

"Frostpaw, wake up." The medicine cat apprentice groaned, shifting her position in her moss bed to face away from the voice. A single ray of moonlight shone onto her silver fur, illuminating it to a pure white glow. She had been busy all day with her new duties, from gathering herbs to memorizing uses of herbs to learning about even more herbs.

Then a paw roughly prodded her, and she gave up her resistance, blinking away sleep.

"Wha…huh?" she grumbled, pushing herself to her paws and turning to face her mentor.

"It's time for the half-moon meeting, come on," Shadefur informed her, nudging her until she stood outside.

As soon as her tired blue eyes took sight of the bright moon hanging like a beacon in Silverpelt, only half of its light visible, she felt energy and excitement crackling in her paws. She turned to see her mentor already padding out of camp, and quickly scrambled after him, feeling renewed.

The moon lit the way through the forest, casting its brilliance upon the world below. Soon they stood before the Thunderpath, which was eerily silent and vacant of monsters. As Frostpaw waited for Shadefur's signal to cross, she stared at the strange and reeking path in fascination. She had never seen it before.

"We're good to go," Shadefur announced, and they quickly ran across, the hard surface stinging their pads. Just after they crossed, a black monster roared past, two beams of light brighter than the moonlight flashing as it raced ahead. She watched it fade into the distance before dashing to catch up with her mentor again.

"We are on the border of ShadowClan territory now," the medicine cat told her. "But we medicine cats are allowed to cross each other's territories in order to get to the Moonstone, so don't worry about being caught."

Frostpaw nodded. The ground beneath her paws was wet and spongy, and the trees looked different. All of a sudden, a dark ginger tom materialized before them. She leaped back in surprise, and the tom _mrrowed_ with laughter, falling alongside Shadefur and matching his pace with him. Frostpaw quickly recovered and padded behind them, feeling a little embarrassed.

_This must be the ShadowClan medicine cat! _she realized.

"Is that your new apprentice? You've been talking about getting one for moons now!" the dark ginger cat meowed as he walked.

"Why, yes, she is, Duskwind," Shadefur replied, glancing back at her. "Her name is Frostpaw, and I've known she was destined to be my apprentice the very moment I first saw her peeking into my den."

Frostpaw stood a little straighter, delighted at the praise.

"Well isn't that just dandy," Duskwind chuffed. He glanced back too. "She's awfully pretty for her age, isn't she?"

Shadefur shot her a look, and the tom burst out laughing again. Frostpaw now stared down at her paws, amused and humiliated once more at the medicine cat's remark. When Duskwind finally calmed down, he added, "You know, it's about time I got an apprentice of my own too. I'm starting to get a bit old."

Frostpaw started to tune them out when the first sight of Highstones appeared behind the cover of the trees. She still heard Duskwind shout, "I mean look at all these gray hairs around my muzzle!" before she drifted deep into her thoughts. What would it be like, to share a dream with her warrior ancestors? She could only imagine what it would be like meeting them, and what would they say?

She stared hard at the beginnings of Highstones as they drew nearer. The tall stones jutted out proudly from the ground and into the starry Silverpelt. Soon the trio was close enough for her to make out the dark, gaping hole which she had been told led to the Moonstone. Four figures stood before it, as if waiting for them to arrive.

Finally they came to a stop before a gray tom with a calm brown and white she-cat at his side, and two she-cats, one tan with black spots and the other white and pacing impatiently. Frostpaw immediately knew that these were the other medicine cats and their apprentices. Apparently Duskwind was the only one without an apprentice.

"We're here!" the ShadowClan medicine cat announced, staggering towards the cats that awaited them. "And look who got himself a pretty little apprentice!"

Frostpaw flattened her ears and shifted her paws uneasily. _Would he quit embarrassing me? _

However, it was clear that the others were used to the ginger tom's behavior. The white she-cat roughly nudged him, snapping, "Go find yourself one already."

Duskwind thought this was hilarious, and while the two argued further, and Shadefur went to speak with the gray tom, the two apprentices came to greet Frostpaw.

"Hello!" the brown and white she-cat mewed. "Been enjoying the start of your apprenticeship?"

"Oh, yes, very much!" Frostpaw replied just before the black-spotted tan she-cat approached her, rather unexpectedly greeting her with a nuzzle and a throaty purr. Her soft amber eyes took her in, a smile on her face.

"She likes you," the first apprentice translated. When she saw the bewildered expression on her face, she added, "She's as mute as a wriggling worm."

Instant sympathy for the mute she-cat overtook Frostpaw as she looked at the apprentice again. How must it feel like, to be unable to speak? She couldn't imagine how she could live like that, devoid of that sense.

"I'm Robinpaw, by the way," the brown and white apprentice told her. "From RiverClan." Then she turned to the mute cat, who met her gaze instantly. "And this is Honeypaw, from WindClan."

"Frostpaw of ThunderClan," Frostpaw returned. "Well met."

Robinpaw nodded. Then the white she-cat, looking slightly frustrated with Duskwind, turned from the tom, who bore a mocking expression, and yelled, "Let's head on inside, shall we? It's about time."

Robinpaw and Honeypaw turned from Frostpaw and started to follow the medicine cats inside. "Come on, you'll never see anything quite like it," Robinpaw meowed over her shoulder. Frostpaw quickly caught up with them.

They entered the dark tunnel, so black that it took an especially long time for Frostpaw's eyes to adjust to the gloom. The rock beneath her paws was hard and spoke of many other cats who had padded on across surface in the past. The ceiling height always varied, sometimes so slow that she had to crawl by, and sometimes high enough for her to walk straight and unbent. Her whiskers often skimmed the cavernous walls. As the tunnel stretched on and on, Frostpaw began to feel a little afraid that it would keep going on forever, and that she would never leave the dark and eerie passage. If not for her exceptional night vision, then she would not be able to see the cats ahead of her, thus making her very grateful.

Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, the walls gave way to an open cavern wide enough for the party to enter together without too much trouble. A single, black stone stood in the center.

Frostpaw was confused. She had heard tales of the brilliance and beauty of the Moonstone, but as she gazed at the stone before her, she questioned this. Was this all there was to it?

Then she noticed Honeypaw watching the roof of the clearing, an eager light in her eyes. Frostpaw followed her gaze, taking note of a crack that revealed the night sky there. Then, suddenly, it happened. A ray of white moonlight filtered in from the yawning gap in the ceiling, shattering the gloom and lighting the Moonstone, giving it life. It transformed from a dull black stone to a glittering wonder. Frostpaw's eyes shone as she took in the sight. It looked as though a thousand raindrops had fallen upon the Moonstone, dazzling and proud.

"Wow," she gasped, in awe. Shadefur quickly put his tail her mouth, signaling her to be quiet. Frostpaw nodded, and he removed the tail. Then the medicine cat moved behind the Moonstone, looked up at the gap in the roof, and meowed,

"Frostpaw, is it your wish to enter the mysteries of StarClan as a medicine cat?"

"It is," she mewed firmly.

"Then come forward," Shadefur told her. She padded towards the medicine cat, and the Moonstone in front of him.

"Warriors of StarClan, I present you with this apprentice," Shadefur announced. "She has chosen the path of a medicine cat. Grant her your wisdom and insight so that she may understand your ways and heal her Clan in accordance with your will."

Then he turned to her, and meowed, "Now kneel and touch noses with the Moonstone, and then StarClan will speak with you." He gestured to the other medicine cats and their apprentices, or lack of. "We shall do the same."

Frostpaw nodded, and watched as they crouched before the dazzling Moonstone, and reached forward to touch noses with it. She then dropped to her paws to do the same.

Taking in the beautiful stone, she closed her eyes and sighed softly. _Be calm_, she ordered herself, trying to cool her excitement. Then she leaned forward, and the cold surface met with her nose, and she felt herself being lifted far away from her body…


	4. Chapter 3

Frostpaw opened her eyes to a huge clearing with four tall and grand oaks towering over her. _This must be Fourtrees! _She recalled hearing tales of the place, and how the four Clans met in Fourtrees every moon to hold a peaceful Gathering. _The next one isn't too far away. _

She took note of the enormous rock that stood in the center of the clearing. The moon shone proudly above, still only half of its brilliance showing. Then she lowered her gaze and saw that there were now a great number of silver, foggy wisps streaking into the clearing. They soon formed into the silhouettes of cats. Stars adorned their pelts and their eyes glowed brightly.

Frostpaw gasped, taking them in. _StarClan... _She stared at them all in wonder. One cat in particular, a she-cat whose fur crackled with thunder and flashed like lightning occasionally, stepped forward and addressed her.

"Congratulations, Frostpaw," she meowed. "You have done well as the apprentice to your Clan's medicine cat so far." Then the starry cat turned away so Frostpaw could no longer see her face. The other StarClan cats had vanished now just as mysteriously as they had arrived.

Frostpaw felt delighted at first from being praised by a StarClan cat, but then she somehow got the sense that the atmosphere was…changing. Dark and ominous clouds were gathering in the night sky, eventually obscuring the moon. Now it was pitch-black, and her eyes just didn't seem to adjust. She couldn't see the starry cat anymore, let alone her own paws.

Then her ears pricked at the sudden sound of a snapping twig nearby. She turned her head in that direction, but she still couldn't see anything. A shrill and eerie giggle sounded from a different direction, still very close to her.

Frostpaw began to quiver with fear, slowly backing away. _What's going on? Where's StarClan?! _The giggles were now all around her, each one more frightening than the last. She could make out the dim glow of many, many eyes all trained on her. Tucking her tail between her legs, she tried to find a way to escape, but the eyes were everywhere. There was nowhere to run.

All of a sudden her night vision came to her. With huge eyes, she took in the sight before her. A great number of cats staggered towards her from all directions, a murderous gleam now revealed in their eyes. Saliva fell in streams from their gaping mouths, staining the ground below. Their fur hung in ragged clumps on their slim bodies. She saw a few of them roll back their eyes so only the whites were showing.

"H-h-help," she gasped as they advanced closer. The battered cats made her feel terribly sick and horrified. She was shaking uncontrollably now. Just before they came within reach of her, Frostpaw shut her eyes tight and cowered, waiting for them to strike. When nothing happened, she tentatively opened her eyes again to see, much to her relief, that the deathly cats were gone.

The StarClan cat towered over her crouching frame, eyes aglow. Frostpaw still felt too shaken to move. The she-cat then leaned down towards her and rested her chin on her forehead, a gesture which soothed Frostpaw greatly.

"Frostpaw," rumbled the great cat, pulling back to look the medicine cat apprentice in the eye. "A wave of darkness is coming. It shall seize the Clans, and turn them against one another. There will be slaughter, there will be rage, there will be grief, there will be insanity. This great terror is known only as…_the Plague_.

However, beyond the territories of the Clans, hidden within the unlikeliest of places, there lays a single herb that will cure this disease. The herb is pure and unique, and knows its destiny. The Thundering Cat of Medicine must find this cure, and bring it back to the Clans, for it is the only way to put a stop to the Plague before it consumes the Clans forever."

_The Plague…_ Frostpaw felt a chill run up her spine as she tried to forget the cats that had been reaching for her only moments before.

"But, wait!" she called, for the StarClan cat had already started to pad away. "Why are you telling _me _this? I'm not ThunderClan's medicine cat!"

She never got a response. Frostpaw could feel herself beginning to wake, to lose her dream self. She just knew that the "Thundering Cat of Medicine" was Shadefur, not her. So her question continued to burn in her mind even she opened her eyes once more to see the Moonstone, now just a black stone again. A single shaft of weak morning light shone through the gap above her.

The others were stirring around her. Frostpaw leapt to her paws, deciding that her mentor desperately needed to know about this prophecy. She opened her mouth to speak to Shadefur, but he quickly glared at her, shaking his head. The words reluctantly died on her tongue as she silently followed him out of the cavern, the others close behind.

She reflected back on her dream with StarClan as a whole. How different it had been from what she had imagined. Still though, she felt pride that a true StarClan cat had praised her progress so far. But then…she shook her head, trying to clear the images. And yet the prophecy echoed through her head, not a word dared forgotten. _The Plague is coming… _Shadefur just had to know about this! The prophecy _did_ concern him, after all.

_Maybe StarClan told him in his dream as well, _she thought to herself. This seemed reasonable to her. Then she might be able to accompany him on his quest to find the cure. Now wouldn't that be fun!

At last they had left the dark tunnel. Frostpaw tried to talk to Shadefur again, but he interrupted her one more, this time by simply saying, "What StarClan shared with you is meant for you alone, Frostpaw. You mustn't tell me about it."

But this didn't satisfy her. Why was he preventing her? He was being so bothersome! "This is incredibly important though! You see, StarClan-"

"_No, _Frostpaw," Shadefur spat, leaning in close. The look in his eye got her frightened all over again. Frostpaw avoided his gaze until he seemed to calm down a bit, much to her relief. "I'm sorry. You just _can't _tell me. I didn't make that up; it's a rule set in stone."

Frostpaw sighed and nodded. Then, for one brief moment, their gazes locked, and she got the feeling that one of her latest thoughts just might be true; that he had seen something similar to what she had seen in her dream.

_Do you know_? her eyes pleaded. _Do you know about the prophecy?_ But he turned away, his features entirely unfathomable, and padded ahead to catch up with the other medicine cats.

"Well I enjoyed that meeting, how about you guys?" asked the gray tom casually. Frostpaw was walking quietly at the end of the group, once again deep in her thoughts. Therefore she didn't bother to try and listen to the responses.

Gradually the other medicine cats left the party to go back to their Clans, until it was just Frostpaw and her mentor. Nothing more passed between them until they got back to camp.

She arrived just in time to see her brother, Pinepaw, heading out with a hunting patrol. He was busy chatting with Jaggeddust, but when he caught her eye, he waved his tail in recognition before disappearing.

Shadefur had already vanished into his den. Frostpaw, suddenly feeling famished, padded to the fresh kill pile and grabbed a thrush. She finished it off quickly, and spent several calming moments grooming her messy pelt. She would have liked the relish in this peaceful time and nap in the sun, but she likely had duties to attend to. So she pushed herself to her paws, which were sore from the long journey to Highstones and back, and entered the medicine cat den.

Her mentor was busying himself by meticulously organizing the herbs in storage. She figured he was just doing this to avoid talking with her. Frostpaw shuffled further in, not sure of what she should be doing. She stood in silence for a few heartbeats, waiting for an instruction. When it didn't come, she decided that a nap really would do her some good. She had just started to leave when she got a sudden impulse to look back at her mentor.

He was facing her now, some herbs still hanging from his jaws. When he dropped them with a soft thud, she saw that he was smiling ever so slightly at her. "Go get some rest, Frostpaw. You've earned it." With that he turned away again.

Frostpaw was puzzled by his peculiar mood changes. She guessed that was he trying to make it up to her after being so stubborn. Yes, a nap sounded real nice; she felt terribly tired. She glanced at the moss bed for her on her way out, but she still felt as though she wanted to sleep outside in the fresh air that night. She left the den and lay down at the edge of the clearing. The sun was just starting to set in the horizon. The sky was a unique shade of pinks, oranges, and yellows, and a few stars were out already. Frostpaw closed her eyes, savoring the view, and soon drifted off to sleep.

...

"Well I think we've caught enough for the day, don't you?" Fallowclaw concluded, surveying their hard work. Three mice, a shrew, and a water vole. Pretty good for the middle of leaf-fall. The ThunderClan deputy turned to the rest of the hunting patrol, who nodded their agreement.

Pinepaw, the new apprentice, seemed especially pleased. "Did I do well, did I, did I?" he kept demanding to his mentor, who always praised his promising skills. Fallowclaw was amused by his behavior; he would make quite the warrior. Already his hunting crouch was near-perfection, and he could stalk any type of prey effectively. She had yet to see him battle training, but she was planning to do so soon.

"Let's head back then. I think the Clan will appreciate all this." Jaggeddust picked up her prey, as did her apprentice. Then Rootwind grasped his, and Fallowclaw got hers. She signaled with her tail to start moving, and started in the direction of the camp, the others following.

She observed that the sun had begun to set, and picked up the pace a little. She never liked being out of camp at night. The vole in her mouth was starting to feel heavy, and its tail was dragging in the dirt. She lifted her chin, trying to raise the tail-

-And stared straight into the deadly eyes of a fox.


	5. Chapter 4

Frostpaw stirred awake, blinking and shaking away the lingering haze of sleep. She gradually made her way out the den, carefully stepping around the other apprentices. It was dark and misty outside, the first few feeble rays of sunshine just beginning to appear above the horizon. She had woken up a bit earlier than usual.

Feeling hungry, she padded towards the fresh kill pile for a bite to eat. The bodies of prey were all covered with a thin layer of frost from the chill of the night. Looking around, she noted that the grass and tree leaves shared the same effect. Leaf-bare was not too far away now.

Frostpaw selected a scrawny sparrow and sat down to eat. She took a bite and chewed, enjoying the savory taste between all the feathers. It was then that she noticed the figure sitting with its back to her, facing the camp entrance. It was hard to identify the cat thanks to the mist that still lingered, but she managed to make out a brown pelt and dark stripes.

She swallowed and, forgetting her meal, sat up and padded over to the figure. The cat was still and unmoving, and the sight unnerved her somehow. It only got worse as she drew closer.

At last she stood just behind the cat. She reached out, and after a moment's hesitation, gently rested her paw on the cat's shoulder, causing it to jump.

"Woah! What was that?" the cat whipped around to face her. She instantly recognized the cat as Buzzardwing, a newly appointed warrior.

"Hey Buzzardwing," she greeted him, settling down next to him. "What's going on? Why are you out here?"

Buzzardwing had relaxed enough to catch his breath. "I was just worried," he explained, glancing back at the camp entrance. "You see, the hunting patrol hasn't come back yet."

Frostpaw's face fell at the news. Now that she thought of it, she hadn't recalled seeing her brother in the apprentice den as she had sneaked out. She followed Buzzardwing's gaze. _I hope they're okay out there. _

"Well, I'm not moving anywhere until the patrol comes back." Frostpaw planted her paws firmly onto the cold ground, facing the entrance.

Buzzardwing, seeing her determined expression, nodded, and then let out a loud yawn. "Well, I think I can rest peacefully now knowing that you're watching for them. I'll leave you to it." He staggered into the warrior den, where he likely collapsed due to his level of exhaustion.

The sun rose slowly and surely until at last it shone brightly in the blue sky. The mists had all but evaporated, and the majority of the morning frost had melted. Frostpaw's body began to feel stiff from the lack of use, and her paws quivered with the anxiety that raged through her. _Where were they? What had happened? Did they get into trouble? _

She heard the sounds of cats stirring and moving about. It wouldn't be long before the camp was bustling with activity. Then Shadefur would find her, and drag her into the den for some lesson on herbs.

Her whole body shook now. _Please come back… _

Suddenly, Frostpaw detected a different sound, one coming from outside the camp. She heard something crashing through the forest, making quite the racket. Then came the desperate breathing. Short, pained breaths of air.

Her heart hammering in her chest, Frostpaw stood up just as Pinepaw came hurtling into the camp, coming to an abrupt stop when he realized where he was. He was covered in scratches, including one gaping wound on his shoulder. Blood poured freely from it, staining the ground beneath. His yellow eyes were wild and frightened. Cats spilled out from their dens, staring in horror at her brother.

"A-a fox!" he gasped, struggling to regain his breath. "It attacked our patrol. The others stayed behind with Fallowclaw; she was badly injured."

"Take us to her." Shadefur stood outside his den, a bundle of neatly wrapped herbs hanging from his jaws. He gestured towards Frostpaw, who watched with a knot in her stomach when Pinepaw nodded obediently, and led the way out of the camp.

Following behind, Frostpaw wanted to scream as she watched her brother run. He was limping badly thanks to the terrible wound on his shoulder, and he was breathing harder than before. He should have stayed behind; Shadefur and she could have managed by following his scent trail.

_Or blood trail_, she added grimly. And how did her mentor happen to have a package of herbs prepared just for this occasion, as if he knew when it was going to occur? She shook her head to try and clear her thoughts so she could focus only on the thought of reaching the injured deputy in time.

_You can only lift one paw at a time, _she told herself. Cedartail, her mother, often told her to remember that. Speaking of her mother, she hadn't seen too much of her since she had been made an apprentice to Shadefur. He always kept her busy, and so she almost missed those carefree days spent playing as a kit with her mother and brother. But no, she was a medicine cat apprentice now with a very important task to take care of. No time for daydreaming.

Soon Pinepaw halted, catching his breath. Just ahead of them, the Clan deputy, Fallowclaw, lay in front of a thick tree, soaking its roots with dark, crimson blood. Two other warriors, whom Frostpaw recognized as Jaggeddust and Rootwind, stood around her, looking frantic. Like Pinepaw, Fallowclaw's pelt was covered with scratches, but Frostpaw also noticed a set of red bite marks with thin black stripes in the deepest areas. The stripes confused her; that wasn't normal. Fallowclaw's eyes were glazed over with intense pain.

"The fox bit her hard after clawing the rest of us, and then it just ran off like the crazy mutt it was," Rootwind explained as they approached, shaking with fear. Jaggeddust simply nodded, shaking as well.

Immediately Shadefur dashed to the deputy's side and took apart his herb bundle, rummaging through the herbs until he found a wad of cobwebs. Frostpaw joined him as he started applying the webs to the most fatal wounds. She observed that his paws shook violently as he neared the bite marks. There was fear in his eyes.

Her mentor looked up, startling her. "Can you treat her with some marigold?" he asked. "I think she might have gotten…infected." His voice quivered as he spoke the last word. He quickly turned back to his work as if to hide it.

_He has to know about the Plague, _Frostpaw told herself as she found the distinctive yellow petals in the herb pile. She scooped them up with her tongue and chewed them into a poultice before spitting them back out. _He wouldn't be acting so afraid if he didn't. _

After Fallowclaw and the others had been treated to the best of their abilities, Frostpaw grabbed some cobwebs and ran off to her brother while the rest prepared to head back to camp. She started to quickly fasten them onto his shoulder wound, hoping he wouldn't protest, but he did. Pinepaw waved her off, snapping, "I'm fine, Frostpaw." She watched in dismay as he hurried to join the others.

Her heart ached as she padded behind her brother and the deputy as they both struggled back. Why couldn't he accept her help? She knew he needed it; she could tell from the pained expression on his face. Then Pinepaw realized that she was watching him and pushed himself even further ahead, to the front of the group. The knot in her stomach tightened further.

As she padded along silently, she glanced at Fallowclaw and took note of how blank and lifeless she appeared to be. She almost wanted to knock on the side of her head and ask, "Hello? Anyone home?" but that would be incredibly rude. How dare she even think of that.

By the time they arrived back in camp, the sun was high in the sky. As soon as they entered, curious cats started to crowd around them, voicing their concerns.

"What happened?"

"Fallowclaw looks awful!"

"I don't know what's going on."

Shadefur quickly took control. "Make way; I've got injured cats here." He roughly pushed through the crowd, creating a pathway which the rest of the group quickly used to get through the worst of it.

After Fallowclaw and Pinepaw, much to the latter's displeasure, had been placed in the moss beds in the medicine cat den to rest, and Rootwind and Jaggeddust had been sent to the warrior den, Shadefur and Frostpaw started back outside only to bump into Falconstar. He looked baffled at the situation, which of course made him impatient.

"What's going on here?" he demanded, shifting his gaze from Frostpaw to her mentor. "I heard Fallowclaw was injured."

"Yes, she was," Shadefur explained, quickly proceeding to tell the whole story in a relatively short summary, but nothing of importance was left out. When Shadefur was finished, Falconstar nodded, appearing calmer now. He then rushed over to the Highrock and called a meeting.

"All cats old enough to catch their own prey, gather beneath the Highrock for a Clan meeting." It didn't take long at all for the cats to move beneath the rock. Frostpaw sat by her mentor, the lifeless face of the deputy still vivid in her mind.

"For those who don't already know," Falconstar began. "A fox attacked a hunting patrol this morning. Fallowclaw has been gravely injured, and therefore cannot perform her duties as deputy while she recovers. Nettlefang, I entrust this task to you. Please take over the position as deputy until Fallowclaw is well again."

Nettlefang, a powerful, broad-shouldered gray tom curled his tail in approval. His eyes shown with pride at being picked as replacement.

"Also, be on the lookout in case the fox decides to return. I want patrols to search the borders with sharp gazes. As far as I have a say in it, this will not happen again." Frostpaw had to admire her leader's determination. He was a very good leader, when he wasn't acting impatient.

"Meeting adjourned." With that, Falconstar sprang off the Highrock and went to talk with Nettlefang. Shadefur turned to Frostpaw.

"Well that was quite the start to our day, was it not?" Before Frostpaw could reply, he added, "Now let's go back to my den and figure out which herbs we need more of. I'll want my stock full to treat these new patients."


	6. Chapter 5

It was still dark out when Frostpaw woke up. She opened her sleep-heavy eyes, observed that it was still night, and then closed them again, fumy about the idea of waking up early again.

Just before sleep started to overcome her again, however, she heard a noise that caused her to become awake and alert instantly. At first she thought that it was merely the wind blowing, but when she listened harder, she realized otherwise. One of the patients in the den was moaning. She paused to listen for a few moments longer, and she also discovered that the patient appeared to be shifting about restlessly.

A cold fear overcame her. Was one of them suffering? She quietly turned to survey the two injured cats resting closer to the front of the medicine cat den. With her night vision, she first made out Pinepaw sleeping on his back with his paws in the air and a frown on his countenance. Frostpaw felt herself frown as she wondered why he seemed so troubled.

Then her gaze shifted to Fallowclaw, and a mask of horror formed on her face. The deputy was writhing on her moss bed, spreading the moss all across the ground. Spittle constantly rained from her gaping mouth, soaking her fur and torn bedding. What struck her the most was that Fallowclaw's eyes were wide open as she groveled about, wailing softly and painfully. Frostpaw flinched when she saw one of the eyes roll into the back of her head, showing only the whites for one long moment.

Frostpaw remained paralyzed for a moment, taking the scene in with wide eyes. Then she sprung to life, darting to the deputy's side. What had happened during the course of the night that could leave her in such a condition? She seemed a little blank the other day, sure, but she certainly didn't seem immersed in intense pain as she did now. As Frostpaw tried to calm the deputy so she could inspect her more closely to find the cause of the matter, her gaze drifted across the bite wound from the fox, and froze there.

The room was suddenly frigid cold. Panting in brief, panicked breaths, Frostpaw held Fallowclaw still and peered at the injury. The unusual black stripes that Frostpaw had observed the other day had swelled to nearly twice the size; thick, oozing, and eerie. She gently parted the matted fur around the wound and saw that the skin had a black depth beneath it. It was as if the substance was spreading throughout her body…

Frostpaw pulled back, releasing the deputy, who immediately gasped and then began squirming and moaning once more.

_ The Plague…_

No, no, no, not yet! Not now! But the prophecy haunted her, echoing itself in her ears, refusing to let her brush this off as a coincidence. So could it be? Had that savage fox spread the disease onto Fallowclaw? If so, was it contagious? Would she catch it just by standing there?

Thinking this, Frostpaw stepped back at first, not wanting to catch the Plague herself. But then, observing the deputy flailing about in obvious torment, she cursed herself for her selfishness. She was a medicine cat apprentice! A crucial part of her job was to care for the sick and the wounded, and here was a cat in great pain, and she was standing there worried for her own self. She flattened her ears, disgraced at her actions, and moved back to Fallowclaw's side.

But Frostpaw still had to know though, even though she had decided that dying of the pestilence herself meant that she had tried to her very best to stop it. Or…did the Plague cause death? She shook her head, clearing this new thought. Too many questions at once.

She studied the bite marks once more, trying again to hold the deputy in place. As she did so, she recalled how only Fallowclaw had been actually bitten by the fox, and she had gotten, or so Frostpaw sort of assumed, the disease, while Jaggeddust and Rootwind had only been scratched, and they were fine. Therefore she could infer that-

Frostpaw shrieked. Fallowclaw had been especially resistant to her attempts to hold her down just then, and had suddenly made a wild lunge towards her paw. She had pulled back just in time; the deputy's teeth snapped with a crack where her paw had been just a heartbeat earlier.

Frostpaw leaped back, fur stiff with alarm and her eyes wide as moons. She stared at her paw, unable to stop herself from imagining what would have happened if Fallowclaw had not missed. Slowly, gradually, she forced herself to lower her paw and look back at her assailant.

Fallowclaw was back to writhing in her moss bed as if nothing had ever happened. Frostpaw stood still for a long moment, her heart racing. Then she slowly crept back, just beyond physical reach.

_What was that all about? _She wondered. Bad temper stroke? But as she tried to get herself to inspect the deputy again, to try and find out what was going on, she realized she just couldn't do it anymore. Her body was quivering, she was frightened from the whole scene, and she just wanted to curl up and fall back asleep; to forget this whole night ever happened. But, gazing at Fallowclaw out of the corner of her eye, she also knew she would not be able to sleep while she was still in pain.

What could she do to try and ease her suffering? Poppy seeds! Of course! The deputy should feel much better after eating a few of those. Frostpaw started towards the back of the den, but hesitated when she passed by Shadefur, still asleep. Should she wake him up and see if he had any good ideas of what to do? No, poppy seeds would do the job. No need to disturb him for nothing.

She rummaged through the herb storage, finally making out the familiar shape of the tiny black seeds. She cupped several of them into her paw, holding it still as she hopped back to Fallowclaw.

To quiet her new fear of the deputy, she tried whispering to her. "I've got some poppy seeds here to sooth your pain." She timidly reached forward with her paw, afraid that Fallowclaw might try to bite it again, and dropped the seeds a whisker length away from her spitting mouth.

"Eat up." But Fallowclaw didn't seem to notice her. She continued to moan and roll about and jerk violently. Then of her flailing paws shot out towards the poppy seeds, sending them spinning all over the floor of the den.

Frostpaw wrinkled in her nose, as she knew that Shadefur would make her pick those up later. He was always telling her, "Each herb is a gift from StarClan. Do not waste them."Then she remembered her surroundings, and quickly went back to get more seeds. Her fear was starting to give way to frustration. By the time she came back, more poppy seeds clutched in her paw, she knew what she had to do. Clenching her jaw tight, she approached the deputy yet again.

_No more games. _She would have to hold Fallowclaw still, even though she risked getting bitten, and force the poppy seeds down her throat. It would be worth it in the end, for then Fallowclaw should at last be able to sleep painlessly.

But just as Frostpaw stood before her, replaying in her mind how she should act, she turned away at the last second. "I can't do it," she murmured, gazing at Fallowclaw. A stillness seemed to come over her. "I just can't."

Frostpaw ran from the den, and outside into the clearing. Not even knowing where she was heading, she soon collapsed behind the medicine cat den where no one else could see her, salty tears streaming down her face and her body trembling violently. Guilt bore down mercilessly on her, and her mind tormented her. Through her mind's eye, she saw Fallowclaw writhing about even more intensely, shrieking at the top of her lungs in terrible, unmatchable pain. She saw her dying; she saw her drowning in her own spittle, she saw her accidently stabbing herself with her own claws, she saw her groveling until she collapsed and never stirred again. Maybe Frostpaw deserved to die, if she couldn't save others. If she was too weak, too pitiful, too pathetic…

By the time the sun had at last pierced through the gloom, Frostpaw had still not moved. She simply lay where she had fallen in the night, staring with unblinking eyes at nothing in particular. She was no medicine cat apprentice. She could hardly even consider herself a Clan cat.

Then her ears instinctively perked up at the sound of paw steps. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Shadefur approaching her. How did he find her? He must be able to see through walls.

"What's wrong?" he asked, looking worried. Wrong? I'm wrong. Now go away.

"Nothing."

Shadefur narrowed his eyes. "You've never lied to me before, Frostpaw." He sat down next to her, his gaze seeming to penetrate her very soul. "Don't start now."

It worked. Somehow, his words broke the transparent seal she had weaved, and Frostpaw broke down again, wailing and trying to speak between sobs.

"Fallowclaw, she, she, _sniff_, w-was flailing about-"

But Shadefur unexpectedly placed his tail on her shoulder, which was a rare act for him, and meowed softly, "Calm down. _Then_ tell me what happened."

Frostpaw nodded, taking a moment to recover. She took a deep breath, feeling it vibrate through her. _Calm_, she ordered herself. _It's not like you nearly got bitten by a victim of the Plague who you were unable to help or anything. _

Then she looked back at Shadefur, opened her mouth, and poured the whole night's events out for him to hear.


	7. Chapter 6

Shadefur nodded slowly while she retold the night's events, his expression unfathomable. Frostpaw kept daring him in her mind as she spoke to reveal that he knew, that he had learned of the Plague just as she had. That he knew what to do.

She wasn't sure when she had made the realization, but eventually she had come to comprehend that she wasn't sure what to do exactly. It seemed very likely, after her observations the other night, that Fallowclaw was inflicted with the Plague. And she had also concluded that the disease had been spread to the deputy after she had been bitten by that fox. How the fox had been inflicted with it, she did not know, but that did not matter to her. What mattered was that the Plague was here, in the camp, and the prophecy was beginning to unfold before her very eyes.

_Please_, she pleaded silently with her ancestors above. _Don't make me struggle through this alone. _ Her only response was a slight breeze that ruffled her fur as she spoke the last words of her explanation to her mentor.

Shadefur stood up, and without a word, disappeared around the side of the den. Frostpaw watched him go, puzzled. What, he didn't have a single word to say? Was he going back to his den then? She hurried after him.

She found him to the medicine cat den, where he was hovering over Fallowclaw. As Frostpaw stepped inside, she realized that the deputy was perfectly still, as if she were holding her breath. Considering the state she had been last night, Frostpaw was only puzzled further.

Suddenly Shadefur leapt to his feet, his chest heaving and his eyes wild. Frostpaw immediately knew what he had seen. At that moment, she knew for sure that he had been told about the Plague, and it made her angry that he would not admit that to her.

"Frostpaw," he meowed, swallowing heavily and then finally tearing his gaze from Fallowclaw to her. "Why not you go train with Buzzardwing and his apprentice, Volepaw? Every medicine cat must know how to defend themselves, so you could definitely benefit from some practice. They should be leaving soon."

Frostpaw narrowed her eyes. While she did like the idea of learning how to fight, she did not want to be torn from the situation at hand. What if Fallowclaw started acting up again? What if she tried to bite him, and he wasn't fast enough? He could use her assistance.

"But I-" she started to mew, but Shadefur interrupted her.

"Frostpaw," he repeated, this time more firm. She sighed, knowing what this meant, and slowly trudged out of the den and into the clearing. Spotting Buzardwing and Volepaw waiting at the entrance, she picked up the pace to join them.

Trying to eject all thoughts of Shadefur and Fallowclaw, she put a big grin on her face and pretended to be excited and happy as she had always been before she had learned of the Plague, but as they headed towards the training hollow, she began to feel as if she were impersonating a different cat. Despite her efforts, she still felt frustrated with her mentor, scared of Fallowclaw, disappointed with herself, and tired of the weight that the prophecy had dropped on her shoulders. She knew that it was wrong of her to feel these ways, but she couldn't help it anymore.

At last the three had reached the hollow. Buzzardwing headed straight for the center, stopped, and then announced, "We'll start with a practice battle to see what you two already know. Remember, keep your claws sheathed. Now take your positions at either end of the clearing."

Volepaw and Frostpaw did as they were told, and then faced each other. Upon seeing the spark of determination in Volepaw's dark eyes and the ripple of his muscles beneath his spotted pelt, Frostpaw tensed herself, prepared for a rough fight. She hadn't had any training before, so she would have to try and learn as they went. She trusted that Volepaw wouldn't go too hard on her though, considering this.

"Begin!" Buzzardwing cried. Instantly Voleclaw dashed towards her, and before she react in the slightest, he had hit her hard on the head with lightning speed. Pain coursed through her, and she was momentarily stunned. Volepaw leapt back to give her time to recover. Frostpaw shook her head, nodded at her opponent in gratitude for allowing her that extra moment, and then decided that it was time for her to attack. She raced towards him, hoping to achieve what he had earlier, but instead Voleclaw stepped to the side just in time.

Frostpaw checked herself, coming to an abrupt halt to face Voleclaw again. She narrowed her eyes at him, and decided on a more deceptive action. She started more slowly towards him, prepared to sprint at the last moment, but he quickly caught on and barreled into her before she could speed up. This time he had her pinned on the ground, paws planted firmly on her chest. He swatted at the side of her head, rough enough for her to feel pain, but not too much. Thinking fast, Frostpaw caught his paw in her jaws the next time he tried to strike, and bit down. Volepaw yowled and pulled back, allowing for her to slip from his grasp.

This time it was Frostpaw allowing him some time. When they faced each other again, Frostpaw realized that she felt alive and full of energy. Her paws were light and her troubles seemed far behind her as she raced towards her opponent, and then feinted to the side when he lashed out. She swiftly cuffed him over the side of the head, and then ducked as he tried to retaliate. Gracefully, she moved behind him and went to bite his flailing tail, but Voleclaw had turned around in a flash and struck her flank with a heavy paw. Frostpaw gasped from the impact.

But then she smiled, and, remembering how she had watched the older apprentices show off this move to Pinepaw back when they were kits, she bunched her haunches and pounced onto Voleclaw's back. Since she was smaller in size than him, she was able hold on by gripping his shoulders. She began to repeatedly bash her paws on the back of his head as Volepaw shook and bucked in his attempts to throw her off. Then he cleverly waited until she had one paw in the air, ready to strike, and thrust himself explosively to the ground in a half-leap, half-sprint. Frostpaw shot off him, having been unprepared, and landed in a heap in the dust.

When they both stood to face each other once more, dusty and battered and yet gleaming with spirit, Buzzardwing stepped between them, smiling.

"That was brilliant! The two of you were both very engaged and fair, and you used many clever techniques. And I must say Frostpaw, for a medicine cat apprentice, you fought exceptionally well!"

Frostpaw grinned, pleased at the praise.

"Of course there is always more to learn, however," Buzzardwing informed them. "I'll show you two a few more techniques, and some tips on how to handle yourselves in real combat. Listen closely now…"

…

By the time they started heading back to camp, Frostpaw was thoroughly exhausted. She was glad that she had participated in the session; she had learned a lot and felt light and happy again. However, as they neared the camp, her worries and troubles came floating back to her on a heavy cloud, bringing a droop to her shoulders, a frown on her features, and a hard glint to her eyes. It frustrated her so very much that her life had suddenly become so complicated. What happened to the easy and carefree days as a kit? It was that long ago at all; things had just changed so quickly.

And as she thought about it more, she soon began to see the training session in a different light; it was just something to occupy her silly young mind while Shadefur took on Fallowclaw and the Plague on his own. She was supposed to be his apprentice! Him choosing her had been the highlight of her life. He couldn't just turn her away at the most prominent times; not after what she had already witnessed.

She was still fuming when they entered the camp.

"Hey, Frostpaw, would you like to eat with Volepaw and I? We're feeling quite famished after that session," Buzzardwing offered.

Frostpaw forced a ghost of a smile, for while she appreciated the generous offer, and could envision herself having a good time with them (and indeed she was quite hungry herself), she knew that she would merely spoil the mood in her current mental state. She replied, "No thank you; I've got to go help Shadefur with something." This was another reason, of course; she just had to know how Fallowclaw was doing under Shadefur's watch.

"Wow, that mentor of yours really has you working. Well, off you go." Frostpaw nodded and dashed towards the medicine cat den, aware that Buzzardwing was watching her go with amusement glinting in his eyes.

**Just a filler chapter pretty much. I hope you enjoyed though, and hopefully I can supply the next chapter soon! **


	8. Chapter 7

Frostpaw entered the den to find that Fallowclaw was gone from her moss bed. Shadefur was crouched next to Pinepaw, who was looking slightly better physically and had his ears tucked back in annoyance.

"I'm telling you, one moment she was there, and the next she just wasn't," Pinepaw snapped at Shadefur. "She vanished into thin air! Now can I go outside now? I've been stuck here forever."

Shadefur sighed heavily. "It was only one night, and you were injured badly. But I suppose a little fresh air wouldn't be so harmful. Just take it easy, and don't move too fast. Now let me send you off with some fresh cobwebs first." As he turned to the back of the den, he called out, "How was your training, Frostpaw?"

She jumped, having forgotten that she was still standing there idly. "Pretty good, actually," she responded when he came out with a bundle of cobwebs in his mouth. The only attention Pinepaw gave her was a quick glance.

Shadefur nodded casually as he tore off the soiled and frayed cobwebs, and then began to apply the fresh ones to her brother's wound. Frostpaw padded over to look. The injury was no longer bleeding, but it still made her cringe at the sight of it. Then Shadefur was finished, and he sat watching Pinepaw shuffle outside with his back to her.

"What happened?" Frostpaw demanded immediately, knowing that she didn't have to specify.

"She vanished," Shadefur replied simply, turning to look her in the eye. "Just as your brother said. 'One moment she was there, and the next she just wasn't.'"

"How could you let her go like that?" she cried, her voice rising. She stood and began pacing through the den, her thoughts racing. "She was so ill last night, so ill…we can't just let her wander off alone! What if she ventures into another Clan's territory?"

Shadefur stood and moved closer to her with silent paw steps. "Frostpaw," he meowed softly. "There wasn't anything I could do about it."

She started to argue further, but he interrupted her. "But there is something we can do now. We can go search for her."

Frostpaw's anxious thoughts were soothed slightly. She nodded swiftly. "Then let's go."

…

Two moons later, after much searching, no trace had been found of the missing deputy. The Clan wondered about the fate of Fallowclaw, and why she had mysteriously vanished, and many grieved, believing that she had been taken by her injuries, or a natural cause. Shadefur and Frostpaw never spoke of what they had observed, mostly in desperate hope that their predictions were false.

But the Plague haunted Frostpaw, filling her dreams and waking thoughts with visions of what StarClan had shown her at her first half-moon meeting, and of the unfortunate deputy. Her energy and enthusiasm had all but burned out from the burden of bearing this, and amount of work that Shadefur had been giving her to do as his apprentice.

Now the cats of ThunderClan were gathering around the Highrock for a Clan meeting. Frostpaw saw the cats sitting in the clearing from the medicine cat den, and, dropping the herbs she had been organizing, she hurried over.

Falconstar began speaking as soon as she settled down. "The Gathering will be held tonight," he announced.

Frostpaw flattened her ears at this, recalling the first time she had attended a Gathering. They had missed the social beginning to the event since ThunderClan had arrived late, and she had only been able to witness the leaders mentioning a few minor events before they headed back home again. It hadn't been worth the effort in her opinion, and therefore she disliked the idea of going again.

"The cats who will be attending are Nettlefang, Ravenwind, Jaggeddust, Pinepaw, Rootwind, Shadefur, Frostpaw, Buzzardwing, Gingerpaw, Tanglefoot, Yewtail, and I. We will leave at sunset."

Frostpaw saw her brother's fur tingle at the mention of his name. She remembered that he had been unable to attend the last Gathering due to his injuries.

"Now, sadly, I must inform you all that we are likely waiting in vain for Fallowclaw to reappear. I believe that she had long since passed into StarClan, and therefore, due to how well Nettlefang has been performing as a replacement, I think it is time I appointed him as the official deputy. Please come forward."

Nettlefang beamed at his and did as he was told, his head held high with pride.

"I say these words before StarClan, so that the spirits of our warrior ancestors may hear and approve of my choice," meowed Falconstar. "The new deputy of ThunderClan is Nettlefang."

"Nettlefang, Nettlefang, Nettlefang!" cheered the crowd. Frostpaw joined in to show her support, as although she was skeptical of the tom's pride, she knew that he would still make a good deputy.

"Meeting adjourned," concluded Falconstar. He leaped off the Highrock and went to personally congratulate the new deputy.

Frostpaw became aware that Shadefur was watching her, and she didn't need him to say anything to know that he wanted her to get back to work. She shuffled obediently back into the medicine cat den, grumbling about the Gathering, and stared numbly at the pile of herbs laying on the flat gray rock that she had been organizing earlier. Shadefur preferred the herbs to be organized by their effects, so she began to place the chickweed and catmint into a separate bundle.

As she went to place some herbs in the storage, she passed by the empty moss bed that Fallowclaw had occupied when she was wounded. The image of the sickly she-cat's jaws snapping mere inches from her paw flashed explosively in her mind, causing her to jolt with sudden fear. The herbs that she had been carrying fluttered to the ground. Trembling slightly, Frostpaw picked them back up and moved to complete her task as quick as possible so she could leave the den and the memories altogether.

...

When the sky was a brilliant shade of red and orange, the cats that had been chosen were preparing to leave for the Gathering. Dusk was falling in the forest, and the low sun was hidden by the shadowy trees.

Frostpaw stood next to her mentor as they waited to start moving. Soon Falconstar joined them and lead them out into the dark forest. She could hear the soft padding of many paws, and the buzzing of chatter all around her. Rather than joining in, Frostpaw held her head low and focused only on pressing forward to Fourtrees. Soon the long and tiring journey there and back would be over, and she could crawl into her bed and sleep deeply. That is, assuming she wouldn't be woken up early by Shadefur as he had been doing often lately.

By the time they arrived at Fourtrees, the moon hung high in the night sky. This time she could see only one Clan already gathered in the moon-lit clearing below. From the fishy smell that wafted towards her, causing her to wrinkle her nose in distaste, she guessed that it was RiverClan.

Falconstar waved his tail, signaling that they could go. Frostpaw waited for everyone to pass her before heading down into the clearing herself.

She blinked, watching her Clan mingle with the RiverClan cats. It was still strange to her to see and smell two different Clans together. She was almost grateful that she had missed this part last time, as she didn't know who she was supposed to talk to. Then she saw Shadefur talking with the RiverClan medicine cat and his apprentice, so she padded over to join them.

She had only just exchanged a warm greeting with Robinpaw, who had become a good friend of hers, when she began picking up other scents. She glanced up to see that WindClan and ShadowClan had arrived. As she saw them looking down at the clearing, she took notice of how furious the leader of ShadowClan, Patchstar, looked. It was so intense that she could almost feel the heat of his fury, so she quickly turned away, afraid that it was aimed at her for some reason.

As soon as the two Clans dropped into the clearing, the ShadowClan leader charged onto the Great Rock, took a brief moment to glare ferociously at the crowd beneath, causing all chatter to still, before roaring, "ThunderClan are murderers!"

It was surprising how quickly the atmosphere changed. Instant chaos followed. The three leaders of the other Clans all scrambled in a mad rush to get onto the rock as well, and Frostpaw observed Falconstar seemed very offended by Patchstar's outburst, so much that she knew that he was itching to thrust the raging leader off the rock. ThunderClan as a whole, of course, also seemed to have the same desires their leader. RiverClan and WindClan merely glanced at each other in numb shock, while the cats of ShadowClan were all throwing insults and accusations at the ThunderClan cats.

She could hear the RiverClan and WindClan leaders, Reefstar and Mudstar, trying to ask for calm, but their desperate words were drowned out as Patchstar began to pace back and forth, his eyes blazing. "For the past few days, we have been discovering the white skeletal remains of our prey scattered all throughout our territory with _ThunderClan_ scent _reeking_ off the bones. How very _insulting_," Patchstar spat, saliva flying. Frostpaw merely huddled in a corner as the leader raged, fearing that violence might break out soon. Many of cats around her were arching their backs and hissing with fury. She sympathized with Reefwind and Mudclaw, for they were both so very worried at the situation that they became subdued as she had.

But it only got worse as Patchstar continued to rant. "I suppose ThunderClan felt rather proud of their savage deeds, for you know what we found dead and picked clean on our territory today?" The ShadowClan leader was beyond enraged now as he leaned forward to screech the answer. "The dead body of one of our senior warriors, Addertail!"

Frostpaw covered her ears as cats everywhere yowled in grief, outrage, and shock. She managed to make out Falconstar sticking his face in Patchstar's and angrily denying all that he had been accused of. All she knew was that no one in her Clan could have possibly committed the crimes that Patchstar had named. Then, just before everyone came to blows, a dark, ominous shadow covered the moon, blotting out the light and pitching the Clans into gloom. The sudden change was greeted with eerie silence.

Frostpaw wondered briefly if StarClan was frustrated with how badly the meeting had gone, but she didn't have much time to dwell on that subject. She could hear the sound of staggered footfalls and labored breathing, and desperately wished that her eyes would adjust. Then she felt her fur stand erect upon hearing a shrill, high-pitched giggle that was so very wrong in ever way. She was reminded all too well of her first half-moon meeting, and she feared that if she regained her vision, she would see a circle of deathly cats surrounding her again. She felt very alone and terrified despite knowing she was actually surrounded by fellow Clan cats. Where was that StarClan cat who had saved her last time?

She felt a tail on her shoulder, and she jumped, scared out of her mind. Then she made out the face of her mentor in the dark, and she was temporarily reassured, but only for a moment.

Because Frostpaw's eyes adjusted to the blackness just in time to see the former ThunderClan deputy burst into the clearing, saliva spilling from her gaping jaws and a hungry, insane look in her dark eyes.


	9. Chapter 8

It was at that moment, as Frostpaw stared with eyes as wide as moons at Fallowclaw, that she realized that the Plague did not cause death. It caused insanity.

Suddenly it made sense how the former deputy had tried to bite her a few moons ago when she was trying to look at her. She had most certainly been affected by the Plague. And now she stood before the Clans of the forest, her jaw spilling over with saliva, and her eyes gaping maws of madness.

Every eye in the clearing was trained on her now as she swung her head back and forth like a wild beast, surveying the crowd. Frostpaw heard whispers, murmurings in the dark from the confused cats around her.

"I thought she was dead."

"What's wrong with her?"

"I'm scared."

These same thoughts were bouncing around in her own head. Then, for reasons she would never understand, Falconstar leapt off the Great Rock, despite the other Clan leaders' protests, and approached the maddened she-cat, who focused on him with spinning eyes.

"Fallowclaw!" he cried, coming dangerously close. "I thought for sure you were dead." Fallowclaw slowly slid her wet tongue across her teeth. "Where have you been all this time? You look awful! Let's take you back home and get you fixed up."

Frostpaw felt her blood pressure rising as her leader put his tail on Fallowclaw's scruffy shoulder. She knew all too well what was coming.

"No, step away!" she heard Shadefur screech just before Fallowclaw snapped. She gave a deep-throated, angry growl and chomped on Falconstar's tail, causing him to yowl in pain. Red blood spurted from her mouth as she bit harder, a hysteric grin on her face.

Meanwhile the Clans were thrown back into chaos as cats everywhere scrambled to leave the clearing. Frostpaw managed to make out Shadefur bravely tackle Fallowclaw down. Falconstar gasped with relief as he was freed and stumbled away, his broken tail staining the grass red and black. Icy terror overcame Frostpaw as she watched Fallowclaw struggle with her mentor. The crowd became too thick for a moment to see, and when she was able to peek at the scene again, she saw Fallowclaw lunging at another cat, her jagged teeth yellow and bloody. Shadefur was nowhere to be seen.

Frostpaw, wild with fear, tried to push her way forward, only to be knocked roughly to the ground by a tom cat in his frantic escape. As she cowered in the dark grass, waiting for the desperate paws to stop stepping over her, she heard the terrifying sounds of slaughter, pain, and fear. Shrieks of unbearable pain as cats were ripped apart, cries of grief as some unfortunate souls witnessed their loved ones torn mercilessly, and the everlasting roar of pounding paws echoed throughout the clearing.

Her body was trembling uncontrollably. Someone tramped over her tail, and she cried out, adding to the horrifying chorus that refused to die down. All she could think of was if Shadefur was bitten. Because he couldn't have been. He was destined to find the cure to bring an end to this hysteria.

"He wasn't bitten, he wasn't bitten, he wasn't bitten," she whispered to herself over and over again. Then, during a break in the rush of the crowd, she looked up at the sky and said it louder. _StarClan help us._

She wasn't sure how long she had lain there, seemingly alone, until she heard a voice ask "Frostpaw, are you alive?" No one was running by anymore. She slowly lifted her head, her neck stiff, and saw Buzzardwing looking down at her with terrified eyes. Feeling lost for words, Frostpaw merely nodded.

"Good, now get up. Quickly," he commanded, his voice shaky yet firm. She rose as he ordered, and as she did so she felt energy surge back into her. She realized how lucky she had been not to encounter Fallowclaw in that time. But then she heard a spasmodic rhythm of paw steps, and heavy, labored breathing, and she knew what she would see before she turned around. Her luck had run out. Fallowclaw approached them now, her fur tangled and blood soaked, and some entrails hanging from her red mouth. All around her were the bodies of cats, some torn apart, their insides showing, and others more fortunate, with only a few ghastly wounds. The worst part that was that many of them were still writhing in agony. It was horrifying how much damage a single insane cat had caused.

Frostpaw gurgled slightly, her breath caught in her throat. Innocent apprentices, elders, mates, strong toms, and able she-cats alike were all slaughtered on this one black night. The image of it had burned itself forever in her mind as Buzzardwing grabbed her by the scruff and hauled her away as fast as he could. She wasn't sure if Fallowclaw tried to follow them or not, but when they were halfway back to camp, Buzzardwing was too exhausted to continue at his break-neck sprint. He dropped her and collapsed on the ground, breathing heavily.

"I should have moved myself," Frostpaw managed to say.

"No, Frostpaw," Buzzardwing replied after a moment, sitting up. "It was understandable."

After a few moments of uncomfortable silence, Frostpaw added, "Thank you." She owed her life to him. Buzzardwing merely nodded, and continued forward, this time much slower, but still fast enough to be considered as running. Frostpaw followed behind, forcing herself to keep in pace with him. Her paws felt heavy, and she couldn't help but imagine them weighed down with sticky red blood. She shut herself out of her mind after that and focused only on the trees whipping past her.

At long last, they made it back to camp. Those who had not gone to the Gathering were forming around those who had, wondering what was going on. Many of the witnesses seemed dazed and scared, but unharmed. She saw that several, however, had been scratched, and even bitten in a few cases. Her eyes shook as they settled on a pair of bite marks on a shoulder. She saw red and black blood, and quickly looked away.

"Frostpaw!" came a familiar cry. Salty tears trickled down her face when she saw her mother approaching her.

"Cedartail!" she returned, choking. Her mother embraced her, and the emotion of what had just occurred came spilling out of her. She cried and cried, feeling like a kit again but not caring, until Cedartail pulled back and gazed at her with eyes shiny with tears.

"I heard what happened, and I was so worried! I'm so glad you're safe, dear." Frostpaw smiled, and allowed herself a few moments to relax in her mother's compassion. Then her shaky smile was replaced with a frown as she remembered that Pinepaw had gone to the Gathering too. Guilt hit her like a ton of stones. For all she knew he lay bleeding back at Fourtrees while she was safe and sound.

"Where's my brother?" she inquired.

"He's here in the warrior's den, don't worry. A little dazed, but fine." Frostpaw let out a sigh of relief. Then she nuzzled her mother and started to turn away, waving her tail and letting her know that she wanted to wander around. She thought about checking on her brother, but she figured that he would rather be left alone. She gazed around the camp, observing that Falconstar was nowhere to be seen. She wondered briefly what would happen now that ThunderClan was without both a leader and a deputy, assuming Falconstar had been killed. Then with one glance at the medicine cat den, the wave of guilt came rushing back in full power, shutting out all other thoughts.

_Shadefur! _She hadn't seen him at all. She rushed back to her mother, but she hadn't seen him either. So before anyone could stop her, she bolted out of the camp, headed for Fourtrees. Fear drove her to sprint. It was the very last place she wanted to go to at that moment, but she had to face it. Her heart pounding in her chest, she begged repeatedly in her mind that she would not find him back at Fourtrees. She didn't care that Fallowclaw was still alive and seeking blood.

When Frostpaw arrived back at Fourtrees, she was out of breath. The stench of blood filled the air. The sight of the mangled bodies was even more sickening now that she faced it alone. The buzzing of hungry flies was almost deafening. She felt slight reassurance when she noted that Fallowclaw wasn't there, but then again she could still turn up at any second.

Feeling sick and horrified, Frostpaw carefully stepped over the corpses. Her vision blurred as she tried very hard not to look at anyone too closely. Then, just as she felt as though she might faint, she spotted him. She was partly relieved because her search was over, but she was mostly overcome with terror because this was not the place where she wanted to find him.

Shadefur was strewn across the ground, his fur matted with dirt and covered in scratches. Frostpaw moved silently towards him, hoping for some kind of recognition in his blank eyes.

"F-Frostpaw?" he murmured, stirring. The movement caused blood to flow from a particularly deep wound. Frostpaw found herself wishing she had brought some herbs with her, anything to help ease his pain. Instead she placed her paw gently on his flank, forcing him back down.

"I'm sorry," she whispered, her voice cracking. "I shouldn't have left you here." Shadefur shook his head sadly.

"D-don't apologize," he returned with some difficulty. Then he sighed softly, looked her over with an exhausted expression, and added, "Look." He raised a forepaw that he had been covering earlier. Frostpaw shook when she saw the dreaded bite marks.

"No!" she cried, feeling herself fall apart again. "You can't go insane. I won't let you." Shadefur merely lowered the paw and grimaced in pain.

"What about the prophecy? There's no way I'll be quiet about it now. StarClan showed you too, I know that," she rambled. She just had to get this out of her. "You knew of the Plague all along. You knew that you must be the one find the cure. And now what? You and everyone else will go insane just like Fallowclaw, and the cure will never be found. The Clans will fall apart, an-"

She stopped when she saw that Shadefur was trying to speak. She expected him to be upset about her throwing the prophecy in his face, but instead he just said, "I just wanted to protect you, Frostpaw." She bit her lip. "Now when I die, who will be the next Thundering Cat of Medicine?"

And then she knew why StarClan told her too. "M-me," she stuttered.

Shadefur smiled slightly. "I entrust the task to you, then."

"But, I had always thought that you would go. I'm not ready; I haven't learned everything from you yet. I'm still an apprentice!"

"You know enough," Shadefur told her. "You will not need knowledge of every herb to embark on such a journey, Frostpaw. You only need the courage to do so." She nodded, knowing that this meant that everything was suddenly up to her now.

Then she noticed a change in her mentor's eyes; a slight flash of what drove Fallowclaw to murder countless lives. Shadefur began trembling. "It won't be long before I go mad. I would ask you to take my life before I lose myself, but that would be cruel of me considering how much you've suffered already. Now please, just leave."

But Frostpaw suddenly had an idea. It was sick, but she resolved that it was for the best. She couldn't let him go insane. Without a word, she dashed off into the forest. It wasn't long before she found what she was looking for. A bush glistening with scarlet berries. Deathberries. She picked off a few, and cupped them in her paw. There was no way she was going to put them in her mouth, but then she thought of what she was about to do with them, and it made her stomach churn.

Frostpaw made her way back to her mentor, careful not to squish the berries. She opened her paw and let them fall next to him. Shadefur's eyes flickered with understanding. "I'll eat them when I'm ready," he said simply, but she saw gratitude show on his face. She had saved him from a life of hysteric slaughter.

"Goodbye," she mewed softly, feeling chocked up once more. She would never see him again.

"Goodbye, Frostpaw," he replied. "And good luck." She turned away, her eyes moist, and started to pad away. But where was she supposed to go? She made it to the forest and glanced back, hoping to see him watching her, but instead she saw that he was lying rigid with red juice staining his muzzle. The deathberries were gone.


	10. Chapter 9

A stillness came over Frostpaw as she realized what she had done. Her breathe caught in her throat. Unable to hold the feelings in any longer, she turned away and began crashing away from Fourtrees. She tried to bury her thoughts in the spasmodic rhythm of her paws beating the earth, but an image of Shadefur lying dead scorched itself in her mind. She didn't know where she was running, just that she was running. Away from her fallen mentor, away from her family back at camp, away from _everyone _back at camp, running from the very world she knew.

Towards a destiny that she never asked for.

Sheer emotion drove her on. Her paws ate up the ground beneath her, everything rushing by her in a blurry mess. Just like heart beat like a caged beast, and her muscles screamed for her to stop. _Shadefur is dead. He's dead and it's your fault. _

Her body gave way and she fell to the ground. Tendrils of blackness curled around her vision. Frostpaw closed her eyes.

…

There was a weight on her chest.

"Aah!" A sudden sharp pain caused Frostpaw to snap awake, startling the scrawny rat that had been biting her tail. It darted behind a filthy black tower.

Her was head thumping its own beat, and her body ached. Groaning, she pushed herself into a sitting position and looked around. The ground beneath her was hard and solid, and she was surrounded by red trees wound tightly together. The black towers were everywhere, and her nose wrinkled with an overwhelming stench in the air.

She was in Twolegplace.

Glancing behind her, she saw the familiar forest that she had lived in her whole life. She rubbed her head, trying to remember what had happened, and then she noticed that her paw pads were ragged and torn. There was blood trailing into the forest.

"No," she whispered. She remembered. The mass murder, Shadefur's death, her insane dash. Her legs shook and she lay down.

She remained still as the sun slowly peeked above the horizon, nearing dawn. The prophecy never explained where to look for the cure. How was she supposed to find it? There was no hope. The disease was spreading at that very moment; it wouldn't be long before everyone succumbed to it.

No hope.

A salty, unpleasant smell dispatched itself from the other scents. She looked down at her paws and saw a fish the size of her tail tip. It reeked, and it was _fish_, but the sight of it caused her stomach to rumble loudly. She ate it quickly, the bones cracking in her teeth. It was a rock in her throat, and she found herself wondering how RiverClan could stand it.

She didn't question how the fish got there. Her hunger had awakened, and she was craving more. Frostpaw finally stood up. Her sore muscles remembered their journey, but her stomach didn't care. She followed her nose, trying to distinguish anything edible. Was there live prey in Twolegplace? The forest behind her hovered at the edge of her vision like a ghost. She couldn't face it; she had left that life now.

She had a cure to find.

Her nose told her that the black towers contained food. She tried scrambling to the top of one, but the sides were too slippery and she tumbled back down with a thump. As she attempted the feat a second time, a rasping voice rang out.

"You hungry, darling?" A shaggy red she-cat with thick fur and piercing amber eyes approached her. Her fur was patchy and adorned with scars.

Frostpaw hesitated, not sure how she wanted her to respond. "Erm, yes?" She ducked her head.

The red cat chuckled. "You look new here, dear," she said, her raspy voice now caked with honey. Then her eyes narrowed. "This is my alley. Now scram."

Frostpaw knew better than to make her wait. She darted around the cat and hovered at the edge of the "alley". In front of her Twoleg dens and Thunderpaths seemed to stretch on endlessly. She glanced back. The red cat stood watching her.

"As for being hungry," she called after her. "You better get used to it."

…

Frostpaw scurried out of the alley. The rising sun cast its light upon the waking world. A bird sang from a tall thin tree, its melody tormenting her. It was too high to reach, and she was never good at hunting anyway.

She ran underneath away from the bird and into the shadowed safety of a bush, dodging Twolegs as she hurried by. The enclosed space was felt comforting to her.

"Okay," she breathed. She had some things to figure out. Under her breath, Frostpaw recited the prophecy to herself in the pieces in which she had memorized it.

"Wave of darkness…seize the Clans and turn them against each other. There will be slaughter, there will be rage, there will be grief, there will be insanity. This is the Plague."

She stopped. She had seen slaughter, rage, grief, and insanity with her own eyes and heart. Frostpaw shuddered, trying not to bring up memories, but she couldn't help it. Was it really not that long ago that she had seen her trusted Clan deputy mercilessly slay all in her path? The blood, the cries of pain and grief...it was horrifying.

Looking down, she saw that her claws were dug firmly into the dirt. She carefully unsheathed her claws, shaking. It was good that she had given him the deathberries. Better a quiet death than a life of cold-blooded slaughter. It was okay. He wanted that quiet death. It didn't matter, but still, there was that knowledge at the edge her conscious, buzzing like a bothersome fly, reminding her constantly that...

She had killed him.

Frostpaw moved on quickly. "Beyond the territories of the Clans, hidden within the unlikeliest of places, lays a single herb…It is pure and unique, and knows its destiny…The Thundering Cat of Medicine must find it before the Plague consumes the Clans."

"Pure and unique, and knows its destiny," she repeated, trying to grasp the meaning of the words. How could an herb know its own destiny? She shook her head in confusion.

But it was definitely beyond the Clans, so there was no going back now. And in the unlikeliest of places? How was she supposed to find this thing?

Frostpaw snorted in frustration and crawled out from under the bush. She had to keep moving forward.

…

That night, she lay cold and starving in another alley, having found nothing but a scrap of dirty meat on the ground. Her breath billowed out in clouds underneath her nose, and her stomach was growling with such intensity that it seemed to have a life of its own.

She was so emerged in her own thoughts that it took a long time for the smell to reach her nose. Another fish lay at her paws.

It tasted even better than the first.

**Sorry about how short this chapter is. I've been trying to get back into updating more often, so bear with me! **


	11. Chapter 10

**By the way, just so you guys know, this story takes place long before Scourge came to form BloodClan. Just clearing up any possible confusion. **

The next morning as the sun climbed into the gray dawn sky, Frostpaw set out. Her body was weighed down, and she felt more stiff and sore than before. The mysterious fish that she had gobbled down last night seemed to bounce about in her otherwise empty stomach. She felt with a pink tongue around her muzzle, tasting traces of salt leftover.

Frostpaw left the alley and skirted around the corner, pressing low to the ground. The sun brought warmth with it, which she relished in.

She was looking forward to leaving Twolegplace. Something about the place set her fur on edge. It was mostly the Twolegs that lived there, of course, and the strange and perilous things they surrounded themselves with. This included the fast and unpredictable monsters, the grimy Thunderpaths that the monsters ran on, and the vicious dogs. Just the other day she had passed by a shaggy dog, stimulating it to bark furiously and strain on the string that its Twoleg held. She had managed to get away that time without being chased, but it was a close call, and she did not want to take any more chances.

Her plan was mostly nonexistent. She knew that she was in Twolegplace, definitely, and that meant that she was beneath ThunderClan territory. Had anyone ever explored the land to the right of Twolegplace? Maybe she would find the herb there, maybe not. It was indeed "beyond the territory of the Clans" though, so why not check?

It crossed her mind then that she might fail. She might not ever find the herb. What if she spent her entire life searching in vain for it, while the Clans tore themselves apart and died out? She hung her head. Right then, it felt as if that was her destiny; to be caught up in this journey forever.

She approached a Thunderpath and waited as a black monster roared by, its shiny black shell reflecting back her tired and sad face. With a sigh, she raced safely to the other side and kept going.

The stones beneath her sore paws were rough and unfamiliar. She suddenly felt an ache deep inside of her to walk across the soft forest floor instead. In her mind she saw herself as an apprentice, bending leaves of grass as she sifted through them for herbs. So many countless days had she performed this task with glee. But, no, oh no, then she was looking up with an herb in her mouth, perhaps a powerful herb, one that might save the Clans, and then she was smiling, expecting praise from the one who had taught her, loved her, the one who had never given up on her, and the wind only rustled through the grass and there was no one looking back at her…

Frostpaw stopped and quivered, tightening her body, folding in on herself. She had to stop falling so far in the depths of her mind like that. A salty tear fell from her eyes and splattered onto the stones.

She had just worked up the courage to stand when a sly voice called out from behind her. "Well hello there." Out from a shadow cast by the sun stalked a massive black tomcat. His muscles gleamed beneath his ragged fur. Both of his ears were nicked, one worse than the other, and a gruesome scar stretched across one cheek. Frostpaw found that her gaze seemed to linger on that scar; it looked a little infected and could probably use some marigold poultice.

The tomcat's eyes flashed when he caught her staring. Sliding his outstretched claws along the stones with an eerie screech, he came closer to her and breathed in her face. "Would you like to know how I received that scar?" he asked, smiling a criminal. "I can assure you that it involved a lot of blood on my opponent's face as well." His thick tail curled onto her shoulder.

Frostpaw carefully backed away a few steps. His breath was foul. "N-no thank you."

An overly dreary frown took over. "Oh, no one ever does want to hear it. It's such a fine story, so I find my lack of an interested audience quite disappointing." He looked at her, his sharp eyes analyzing her every move.

Frostpaw merely stared back.

He pulled back and circled once around her, stopping and gazing away with his profile facing her. "Many sad youngsters like you have been wandering here lately. It's been rather hard to keep up with all the new faces." He turned to look at her again. "Tell me, are you planning to stay here?"

"Well…" Somehow she got the feeling that saying no might insult him. She decided to tell the truth without explaining too much. "I'm sort of looking for something."

The tomcat drew closer, narrowing his eyes. "What kind of something?"

Frostpaw pawed at the ground. "I need…an herb, of sorts."

He chuckled rather loudly, but it seemed almost false to her. "An herb? Why, look around you, there are plenty to be found."

"No, it's a special one." She tried to think of how to describe it. "Pure and unique….I'd know when I see it, probably. Just, if-"

She stopped when she heard a low guttural growl coming from the tomcat's throat. "You know what? Why not you just keep walking, because I don't have the time to deal with your problems." His voice was thick and angry now as he stood up and started to leave.

"Wait!" she cried. This cat might have the answer, if he would just listen to her. She caught up to him, dazed, but he just shouldered her aside and then turned a corner, disappearing from view.

Frostpaw came to a stop, staring bleakly at the place where he had been just moments before. Now what? She didn't feel like leaving anymore. There was clearly something going on here. A cold wind blew from the south, chilling her. After much hesitation, she lifted her heavy paws and started after the tomcat even though she knew she wouldn't catch him. She was curious as to where he had gone. From his appearance and state of manner, he seemed to be some sort of leader. Most likely he knew this place like the back of his powerful paw. What kind of business did he to attend to? She rounded into another alley.

"Psst, hey," sounded a voice. Frostpaw lifted her head and squinted hard into the dark clouding the back. She could just make out a crouched feline figure. Who was it now? There were so many strange cats around Twolegplace.

"Hello?" she mewed, stepping closer.

"I-I, um, I think I can help you." The figure pressed lower. She got the impression that this conversation was very hard for it.

Frostpaw sat down, trying to show that she meant no harm. "Help me with what?" There were countless ways in which she could use help, but she wasn't sure if this shrouded cat could actually help.

"That herb you mentioned," the cat said. "I, well, I think I know what you're talking about."

Frostpaw stared at it. How would it know about the cure? Did it know the whole prophecy? She shrugged. It was probably just bluffing.

Still. She felt a flicker of hope rise in her chest. "What do you mean?" she pressed.

The figure emerged from the shadows then, revealing to be a young tomcat about her height with wide green eyes. His pelt was in a terribly untidy condition. He was a dirty little scrap of black and orange fur. His ribs showed underneath, and there were three long, thin scars across his left flank.

The condition of these poor cats; it was very sad.

"I, um, it kind of requires a lot of explanation, and…" The young tomcat looked at the ground.

Frostpaw lowered her muzzle so that her nose touched the top of his head. "What's your name?"

The cat trembled slightly and flinched away from her. "Sorry," he muttered, and then looked back at her and said," They call me Kinx."

"I'm Frostpaw," she returned with an attempt at a sweet smile. Then she lay down so that her paws were stretched in front of her. "You can tell me, if you want. I'll offer to share some stories in return."

Kinx looked as if he were about to back out, but then he sat down too.

"Okay."

**Feel free to review! I always appreciate it. c:**


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